WHITE LIGHT: Princeton University women’s lacrosse player Sophie Whiteway, right, goes after the ball in recent action. Last Saturday, senior midfielder Whiteway came up big on her Senior Day, tallying two goals along with four draw controls and two ground balls as No. 5 Princeton topped No. 18 Brown 15-13 to clinch a share of the Ivy League regular season crown. The Tigers, now 12-2 overall and 5-1 Ivy League, play at Dartmouth on April 26 as they look to earn the outright league title and the No. 1 seed going into the Ivy postseason tournament. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

In her freshman season for the Princeton University women’s lacrosse team in 2022, Sophie Whiteway contributed three draw controls on the program’s Senior Day to help the Tigers defeat Yale and clinch the Ivy League regular season title.

Last Saturday, Whiteway came up big on her Senior Day, tallying two goals along with four draw controls and two ground balls as No. 5 Princeton topped No. 18 Brown 15-13 at Class of 1952 Stadium to clinch a share of the Ivy regular season crown as it moved to 12-2 overall and 5-1 Ivy.

For Whiteway, there was pleasant sense of déjà vu as she reflected on her regular season home finale.

“I think all of the seniors were super excited; our freshman year we were here on’52 for the championship game,” said midfielder Whiteway. “We are just super excited to get it back to Princeton and really just close it out and have a win. It gives me the sense that the career has gone one full circle. We started our Ivy League career with a title where and we are ending it with one.”

While Whiteway has hit some bumps in her career, being a constant on the Tiger draw control unit has helped keep her on track.

“I have had a lot of ups and downs,” said Whiteway, a 5’8 native of Potomac, Md. “But I knew that I have always had that role on the draw and winning the ball for the team and just stepping up in big games. I think I play best under pressure. I think today was a great game for our whole team, and me and we are just going to keep that going.”

In reflecting on her Princeton lacrosse experience, Whiteway has been influenced by some great players along the way.

“It is just the people; I know from freshman year. Kyla Sears, Marge Donovan, and Sam Fish, those were big players,” said Whiteway. “They inspired us. Now we have players like McKenzie Blake and Haven Dora. We just keep bringing in amazing people to this program. We leave and we hope we can be inspiring to the younger class and help get them back here one day.”

Coming off a tough 15-12 loss at Penn last Wednesday night, Whiteway and her teammates were determined to give their all against Brown.

“I think on Wednesday we had more to give and today Senior Day was emotional,” said Whiteway. “We left it all out on the line. We show up when the game is close. We all love each other so we were doing it for each other.”

Trailing 3-1 to the Bears late in the first quarter, the Tigers showed up at both ends of the field, going in a 5-0 run as they seized momentum.

“Our defense was amazing, Amelia [Hughes] made great saves,” said Whiteway. “The attack was putting the ball away when we needed it. On draw controls, Abby Roberts stepped up big. We all just worked together really hard.”

Taking most of the draws, Whiteway had her work cut out as Brown built an 11-4 edge in draw controls in the first half. By the end of the contest, the foes were knotted at 16-16 in that stat.

“The draw is a battle always, you are going to be up, you are going to be down,” said Whiteway, who now has 212 draw controls in her career, second all-time in program history behind only Marge Donovan’s total of 214. “I think it was just continuing to fight hard. We were down at half by a lot and we got it even by the end of the game. Fighting is always important.”

In addition to fighting for draw controls, Whiteway scored two key goals against Brown, a tally that gave Princeton a 4-3 lead and a second score that put the Tigers up 11-9 to end the third quarter.
“I just saw my teammates make space for me, the shot clock was running down and I knew I had to take it,” said Whiteway in assessing her first goal. “I am just happy it went in. It was the same thing on the second goal. Our teammates are so amazing on attack that it opens up space for other players. Knowing that, we have to step up. It is Senior Day, there is no better time to step up and make that play for the team.”

Princeton head coach Jenn Cook lauded her seniors for what they have contributed this season.

“This senior group has just done such an incredible job leading this team from the moment we stepped on campus this year,” said Cook, whose Class of 2025 includes Tia Reaman, Sam Whiting, Nina Montes, Mia James, Paige Vegna, and Sarah Nelson in addition to Blake and Whiteway. “They were really getting everybody on the same page and ready to compete. They were hungry and supported each other. It has just been awesome to see. The result of today is all of their leadership and hard work and belief since September.”

Giving those seniors a special sendoff helped inspire the Tigers against Brown.

“It was an important game, I think there was just a lot of love,” said Cook. “They wanted to play for each other and especially for the senior group. They really wanted it for each other and you saw that today.”

Despite the early deficit against the Bears, Cook sensed that her squad would eventually show its game.

“I think playing with confidence and knowing that if we settle in and play our game on both sides of the ball, this game is ours,” said Cook. “I thought they did a really good job, having that confidence, belief and composure.”

Cook credited Whiteway with doing a very good job in the win. “She battled all day today,” said Cook. “Those possessions were huge for us in the third and fourth. I am just so happy for the day that she had.”

With Princeton clinging to an 11-9 lead heading into the fourth quarter, the Tigers started the period with a 3-0 run to give them a cushion heading down the stretch.

“That was huge,” said Cook. “It just gives you momentum and they continued that momentum.”

The one-two attacker punch of Blake and junior Jami MacDonald helped fuel the late run as Blake ended up with three goals and two assists while MacDonald scored four goals.

“They started to really wear them down and those opportunities started to open for them,” said Cook, who also got three goals from sophomore midfielder Colette Quinn. “They buried the ball, it was awesome to see.”

At the defensive end of the field, junior Dylan Allen, senior Vegna, and freshman Zoe Bye along with goalie Hughes helped stymie the Bears.

“Dylan was unbelievable, I thought she did great today,” said Cook. “Brown is a really tough offense to play against, they dodge really hard. I thought Dylan did a great job managing them. Overall, our defense did a good job executing our game plan. Amelia came up with big saves when she needed to.I thought Paige had a great game. Zoe coming up with that charge at the end was big. It was a good game all around.”

It was good day all around as the program clinched its 17th Ivy regular season crown.

“That is what this group that has been here for three years has really been talking about,” said Cook, whose team plays at Dartmouth on April 26 as it looks to earn the outright league title and the No. 1 seed and the right to host the upcoming Ivy postseason tournament. “It is the first one for these seniors since their freshman year. They have wanted this and they talked about it and put that work in. They have just been incredible leaders. They wanted it and it showed.”

Looking ahead to the postseason, Cook believes the Tigers need to keep showing that work ethic in order to produce a deep run.

“We have to continue to build momentum, continue to execute the game plan at a high level and continue to play for each other,” said Cook.

Whiteway, for her part, is confident that the Tigers will continue executing at a high level.

“I think it is just keeping the momentum,” said Whiteway. “We know what we have on this team. We are ready to play anyone and bring that on the field wherever we go.”